Overachieving Rebels want to keep season going

After graduating more than 20 players last year, six of whom signed college scholarships, it was difficult to predict how the Groves football team would perform in 2005.

Some outsiders even told Groves coach Karl DeMasi that his team would be lucky to win more than three games.

Instead, the Rebels put together a 6-4 season, stringing together four straight Region 3-AAAAA wins at one point.

Their 6-3 region record earned Groves a third seed and a nearly four-hour trip to East Coweta (6-4, 4-2 Region 4-AAAAA) for the first round of the state playoffs tonight.

It's the Rebels third straight playoff berth.

"I've said before that we had a young team that overachieved," said DeMasi. "When this season started, we weren't worried about the playoffs, thinking more that we needed to put a competitive team on the field that wouldn't get blown out."

With the exception of a 30-point loss to Camden County, the Rebels did just that. Their three other losses came by a combined six points.

The Rebels allowed only 123 points this season, and were the only team to hold Camden to less than 42 points.

They'll be challenged by East Coweta's potent Wing-T attack, which is averaging 26 points a game behind quarterback Brandon Behenna, the son of former Atlanta Braves pitcher Rick Behenna.

While most Wing-T offenses run first and generally throw short, quick passes, East Coweta isn't afraid to stretch the field.

"They bring a lot of looks, so we've had to prepare for a little bit of everything on defense," said middle linebacker Isaac Cuffy. "But we've seen Camden, the No. 1 team in the state, and know what we need to do if we're going to be successful. If we play well, there's always a chance to win."

That chance to win will come down to the Rebels' offense, which is led by sophomore quarterback Cameron Tillman, a 1,000-yard passer in his first season of high school football.

His success has been particularly important for Groves, whose running game DeMasi called only average.

"Our offense is young, so we've been very happy with how well they've played," DeMasi said. "These guys have worked hard all year because they've had the taste of the playoffs and want it again. It'll be a feather in our cap if we can take it one step further this year."

That playoff experience has taken away some of the butterflies, leaving a team confident in its abilities and knowing what it's going to take to succeed.

"There's no more room for mistakes, so we have to do everything well if we want to win," Tillman said. "We've got to play this game like it's our last game, because if we lose, it will be."